Watching Brief

Date 2002

Event ID 923369

Category Recording

Type Watching Brief

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/923369

NS 3610 9285 A watching brief was kept during the excavation of new drains and paths, solum of the church and replacement grave foundations. A medieval West Highland coped stone of fine-grained sandstone was noted, measuring 1.72m long and 0.21m high (max.) and a maximum of 0.42m wide, and tapering towards the foot end. It is broken in two pieces about two-thirds of the way down its length. Of the three coping panels, the two side panels have foliate design and the top panel bears only a single initial 'C' at the head end in crisp Latin script. No other carvings are present. It was discovered in the foundations of a late 19th-century grave during repair works, and the medieval stone is not in its original position. It has been raised to the ground surface in the same position in the cemetery to be on public display.

Immediately adjacent to the coped stone was a slate slab in situ. The 1.8m slab is plain and unfinished from the nearby Camstraddan quarry, with the exception of a small 8cm cross scratched on it towards the southern side of the foot end. The cross has been embellished around its branches, perhaps to create a Celtic cross, but it is difficult to decipher precisely. The slab has been left in situ and it appears undisturbed, confirming that the top 0.2m of the cemetery soil was substantially disturbed during the late 19th century when the standing church was built and the graveyard was 'tidied'.

During the excavations of the 19th-century grave foundations a fragment of slate that appears to bear a fragment of a cross was recovered. It is possible this slate is a fragment of a simple medieval grave marker. A small assemblage of medieval and post-medieval pottery was recovered from the graveyard soil, including Scottish medieval redwares, Scottish White Gritty and post-medieval reduced ware. The majority of the sherds were found in the area immediately N of the W porch. Three overgrown gravestones last recorded in 1926 were rediscovered, and it was confirmed that the 12th-century coped stone described and illustrated by Lacaille (PSAS 1927-28, 93-5) was destroyed beyond repair in the 1970s.

Excavations of the drains and in the interior of the church revealed glimpses of the 17th-century church foundations, and the layout of the foundations of the c 13th-century chapel to the E of the standing building was confirmed. In the lane leading down to Loch Lomond on the NE side of the churchyard a substantial infill deposit of 18th- to 19th-century midden on rubble was encountered to a depth of 2m but was not bottomed. It may simply represent building up of the lane which is only 30m from the loch, but may represent infill of an earlier ditch or vallum.

Several architectural fragments were recovered from the interior of the church, the graveyard and associated with the 13th-century chapel; these are stored on site. Two broken 18th-century gravestone fragments were recovered from 19th-century gravestone foundations, one of which is a fine trade stone of a shipwright; this is now on display in the cemetery.

The early cross slabs, the font, the 14th-century effigy and the Celtic head have been cleaned and conserved and remain on site.

Report to be deposited in WoSAS SMR and the NMRS.

Sponsors: HS, HLF, Congregational Board of Luss Church, Church of Scotland.

F Baker 2002